Piquant situations

"Germany, France struggle with resurgent Russia" (Bhadrakumar):

". . . the best-laid plans under Obama have gone awry. To be sure, the Russian intervention in Syria in September 2015 would have been partly at least attributable to the tensions building up in Moscow’s ties with the West, with the Kremlin assessing that without a toehold in Syria, an effective Russian presence in the Mediterranean would be unsustainable. In turn, Russia forcefully reversed the tide of the Syrian conflict, weaned Turkey away from the western camp, forged a veritable alliance with Iran and established a permanent politico-military presence on the Middle Eastern landscape.

More importantly, Hillary Clinton failed to win the 2016 US presidential election to carry forward Obama’s Ukraine agenda to its logical conclusion of containment of Russia. Donald Trump, on the contrary, takes no real interest in a concerted Western strategy over Ukraine and it is even debatable whether he sees US interests at stake in Ukraine. Thus, despite the covert axis working actively – even proactively – between the Pentagon under James Mattis (who used to be a NATO commander himself) and the hardliners among the allies in Europe, Trump has remained disinterested in turning Ukraine into a flashpoint against Russia. Trump’s support for Kiev has been by far sub-optimal.

Conceivably, Mattis’ ouster as US defence secretary will demoralize the hardliners amongst the US’ European allies. Their sense of vulnerability vis-à-vis the resurgent Russia is only increasing. Indeed, Trump’s announcement on the withdrawal from Syria has also stunned them, as they fear the spectre of a triumphalist Russia on the march.

For both Germany and French, a piquant situation also arises because the US withdrawal from Syria will expose their own covert military intervention in Syria without any UN mandate, lacking legitimacy under international law. Ironically, there is danger that without Russian acquiescence, a cover-up of the war crimes committed by the German and French forces in Syria may get exposed in the coming period, causing huge discomfort to their carefully cultivated image as the paragon of the liberal international order. Reports in the Russian press have hinted that Moscow is in a position to expose the German and French war crimes in Syria."

"Trump Breaks Generals’ 50-Year War Record" (Porter):

". . . in early April 2018, Trump’s impatience with his advisors on Syria boiled over into a major confrontation at a National Security Council meeting, where he ordered them unequivocally to accept a fundamentally different Syria deployment policy.  
Trump opened the meeting with his public stance that the United States must end its intervention in Syria and the Middle East more broadly. He argued repeatedly that the U.S. had gotten “nothing” for its efforts, according to an account published by the Associated Press based on interviews with administration officials who had been briefed on the meeting. When Dunford asked him to state exactly what he wanted, Trump answered that he favored an immediate withdrawal of U.S. forces and an end to the “stabilization” program in Syria.
Mattis responded that an immediate withdrawal from Syria was impossible to carry out responsibly, would risk the return of Islamic State, and would play into the hands of Russia, Iran, and Turkey, whose interests ran counter to those of the United States.
Trump reportedly then relented and said they have could five or six months to destroy the Islamic State. But he also made it clear that he did not want them to come back to him in October and say that they had been unable to defeat ISIS and had to remain in Syria. When his advisors reiterated that they didn’t think America could withdraw responsibly, Trump told them to “just get it done.” 
Trump’s national security team had prepared carefully for the meeting in order to steer him away from an explicit timetable for withdrawal. They had brought papers that omitted any specific options for withdrawal timetables. Instead, as the detailed AP account shows, they framed the options as a binary choice—either an immediate pullout or an indefinite presence in order to ensure the complete and permanent defeat of Islamic State. The leave option was described as risking a return of ISIS and leaving a power vacuum for Russia and Iran to fill.
Such a binary strategy had worked in the past, according to administration sources. That would account for Trump’s long public silence on Syria during the early months of 2018 while then-secretary of state Rex Tillerson and Mattis were articulating detailed arguments for a long-term military commitment.
Another reason the approach had been so successful, however, was that Trump had made such a big issue out of Barack Obama giving the Pentagon a timetable for withdrawal from Afghanistan. As a result, he was hesitant to go public with a similar request for a Syria timetable. As CNN reported, a DoD official who had been briefed on the meeting “rejected that any sort of timeline was discussed.” Furthermore the official asserted that Mattis “was not asked to draw up withdrawal options….” Lieutenant General Kenneth McKenzie, the director of the Joint Chiefs, also told reporters, “the president has actually been very good in not giving us a specific timeline.”
Nevertheless, without referring to a timeline, the White House issued a short statement saying that the U.S. role in Syria was coming to a “rapid end.”
Mattis and Dunford were consciously exploiting Trump’s defensiveness about a timeline to press ahead with their own strategy unless and until Trump publicly called them on it. That is what finally happened some weeks after Trump’s six month deadline had passed. The claim by Trump advisors that they were taken by surprise was indeed disingenuous. What happened last week was that Trump followed up on the clear policy he had laid down in April."

Good as far as it goes, but the AP is notoriously Zionist, and thus misses the (((elephant))) in the room.  Nobody actually believes this crap about 'fighting' ISIS (or, even more absurdly, looking out for the Kurds).  The only reason the US is in Syria is to Yinonize it, at the behest of the (((you-know-whos))).  That's why Trump pointedly raised the issue to the billions of gibs going to Israel every year - it was a pretty obvious threat to the (((people))) who are loudly whining to back off, as there are more options available to Trump should (((they))) not stop harassing him.  Trump seems to realize that MAGA is his garlic against vampires, whether they be (((neocons))), sore-loser Clintonistas, or Mueller and his enablers (much overlap in these groups).  The best defense for Trump is doing exactly what he campaigned on.

Starts out slowly, and, sadly, written by a Truther, but it raises a lot of issues, including speculating what Corbyn's plans might be (and why Britain needs to get out in order to do them):  "To whom was Her Majesty referring in her Christmas broadcast?" (Fantom).  See the comment by Estaugh on the unconsitutionality of the actions of the spectacularly blackmailable pedo Heath.

Tweet (Ivan Katchanovski) (superb thread!):

"Bombshell directly relevant to #Maidan in #Ukraine: Ex-president & 3 other leaders of 1989 #Romania 'revolution' are charged with crimes against humanity for using disinformation & diversion to provoke #FalseFlag mass killings to legitimize their power"

Tweet (David Hamer):

"Forensic thread on Jordan Peterson."

Hair icon

"‘Time to Leave’: Iraq Exercises Sovereignty as MPs Call for Withdrawal of US Troops".  Americans Out is the Spirit of the Age.

"Hold your breath. - The SAA is invited into Manbij by the SDF" (Lang).  Starting to play out nicely.  While the Official Story is that this was something Trump blurted out in a telephone conversation with Erdoğan - fitting nicely into the Clintonista view that Trump is an incompetent madman, and, from the Trump side, avoiding any dangerous notion of an American-Russian conspiracy - it seems far more likely that it was a carefully thought out joint US-Russia-Turkey-Syria plan (with, probably, Iran), which must have been done in the deepest back rooms of Washington to avoid the American neocons.

"Hahahaha: Kurds Call in Syrian Army to Protect Them From Turks" (Anglin).  Note the valid point that the Americans were there simply to serve as human shields, as nobody wanted to accidentally kill one of them.

"Critics of Syria Withdrawal Fueled Rise of ISIS" (Blumenthal).  ISIS, wherever it has been redeployed, and, of course, al-Qaeda, remain the only two reliable American allies.

"Notes On The Withdrawals" (Tracey). This has been another educational moment, part of The Clarification, seeing the Democrats and the 'left' generally as the evil warmongers they really are, and, of course, seeing (((who))) is behind the curtain, pulling the strings.

While there is some good news around, Japan, a country which should really know better, is rapidly going sideways: "Japan plans major defence spending while navigating its pacifist constitution" and "Japan to Refit Aircraft Carrier, Increase Defense Spending" and "Japan government approves record defence budget" - historically, people who buy this shit tend to get around to using it - and "Why Shinzo Abe faces an uphill battle to revise Japan’s constitution".

Note the very organized American 'environmental' trickery:  "Latest Political Goings-on in Japan" (Terehov).

The Luke Harding School of 'Journalism':  "Cohen Prague Claim Crumbles As McClatchy Reporter Admits To Third-Hand Information".  They must be so proud.

"Election Fraud: Democratic Party Operatives Caught Creating ‘Russian Bot’ Farms, Planting Fake News Stories":

"So, it turns out there really was meddling in American democracy by “Russian bots.” Except they weren’t run from Moscow or St. Petersburg, but from the offices of Democrat operatives chiefly responsible for creating and amplifying the “Russiagate” hysteria over the past two years in a textbook case of psychological projection."

"A Reuters Report on Iran That Spurred US Diatribes" (Kesic). Reuters = Rothschild.  A useful case study on how pure Khazar propaganda works its way into the basic understanding of the American government.  Pompeo vows to fight 'until the Rapture'!

"Canadians launch petition to ban Srebrenica genocide denial" (Gadzo).  "“Denying” the Srebrenica Genocide Because It’s Not True: an Interview with Diana Johnstone" (Garrison).

"The Yellow Vests and the Left by Jim Kavanagh + Yellow Vests Shift to the Left" (Kavanagh):

". . . the left has succumbed to deprecating a politics of class solidarity in favor of a politics of solidarity based on like-mindedness on a checklist of issues.
But this has things backward. Solidarity is not a matter of prior agreement. It’s bedrock socialism that you can only build a movement with the working-class we have, not the one we wish for. Which means solidarity must start with material interest, not like-mindedness, You don’t have to agree with me for me to defend your interests.
Agreement doesn’t precede, it results from, solidarity. You get—earn and build—popular support for progressive, socialist, and revolutionary ideas and programs by defending and fighting for people’s material interests, not by interrogating people who are in actual revolt against the neo-liberal state to see whether they have the correct ideas regarding everything on your checklist, and insulting and attacking them if they don’t. That’s the approach of the liberal intellectual, not the left socialist.
Agreement will come from respectful engagement in a common fight for a dignified life for everyone. Or it won’t. There are no guarantees. Because everybody in a capitalist society gets “taught wrong on purpose,” a lot of people with a lot of half-assed ideas—whether kinda-sorta racist or sexist, or kinda-sorta authoritarian, or kinda-sorta in thrall to liberal capitalist politicians, or kinda-sorta self-righteous, or kinda-sorta skeptical of global warming—must get together and learn what ideas, attitudes, and actions help the movement, and what kind of bullshit will guarantee defeat and has to go. Or they won’t, and the movement will fail, or turn nasty.
Furthermore, the change from “normal” opposition to a radical, insurrectionary, or revolutionary movement always starts with an abrupt, unforeseeable explosion over a relatively minor “final straw” slight. And it never starts with an agenda of all the correct demands. What that explosion does, precisely, is initiate a process of struggle and learning, through which the working classes, acting outside of any preconceived agenda, and joined by those who have had the time and privilege to study history and politics, can define not only an agenda of specific demands, but a new type of polity."

What would be really swell is if they could have successful protests without having to be pigeonholed at all, as either 'left' or 'right'.

Treason, a strong word

"Why Mattis’ exit is a defining moment in US foreign policy" (Bhadrakumar).  Some are doubting the withdrawals, but the combo of Trump reconfirming them plus the pointed resignation of Mattis - Mattis used his dissing of Trump as an application letter for a cushy sinecure at a Washington stinktank - makes them real, and spectacular.  It appears that Trump feels his debt to Sheldon is paid in full by President Jared's eliminationist plan for the Palestinians (not to mention all the taxpayer dollars).

"From now on, Trump will try to use foreign policy to distract us. It won’t be pretty." (Klaas).  This out-of-control bastard is going to give the American people the sane foreign policy they want!  What a monster!  I've been noticing that, much as I hate the JYT, its comments usually make terrible - and deserved - fun of its neocon positions, but the Washington Post comments are obviously heavily filtered to allow just neocons and Clintonistas to remain as an amen corner to the goofy articles.

Mattis and NATO:  "Why Mattis’ exit is a defining moment in US foreign policy" (Bhadrakumar).

"US troop withdrawal heralds the New Syria" (Bhadrakumar).  Ends with a bizarre assumption that Israel's motivations are completely legitimate (!!!).

"Trump Is Leaving Behind a Trap for Russia, Turkey and Iran in Syria" (Magnier).  If the Turks annexed the area they would end up with a US in Vietnam or Soviets in Afghanistan situation, with constant casualties causing political unrest at home (not to mention a huge increase in Kurdish dissent within Turkey itself), so the obvious plan is to get the Kurdish leaders to put down the shekel-pipe and stop committing treason against their own people by coming to an understanding with the Syrian government that will alleviate Turkish concerns about Greater Kurdistan.  The Kurdish leaders have obviously been listening to the Israelis for so long they've left themselves in a terrible negotiating position - Assad doesn't have to offer them anything more than preventing them from being slaughtered by the Turks - but it is what it is.

"Pentagon admits Iran’s key role in restoring calm to Afghanistan".

The drone murdering, however, continues:  "Bring the Troops Home, But Also Stop the Bombing" (Benjamin/Davies).  "In Afghanistan, Ignorance Has Become a Crucial Part of the War on Terror" (Feroz).

"Shifting Reasons for US Involvement in the Middle East and the Mounting Democrat War Machine" (Anglin).  The sudden phony concern for the plight of the Kurds is one of the most obscene things I've seen in Washington politics.

"Reminder on the Background of the Syrian War" (Anglin).  "Obama, ISIS and the Muslim Brotherhood" (Engdahl) (though siding with Turkey is also de facto siding with the MB):

"The Muslim Brotherhood or Ikhwan–Arabic for The Brotherhood–is a secret masonic-like organization with a covert  or underground terrorist arm and a public facade of “peaceful doing of charity.” It was founded in Egypt in 1928 by Hassan al-Banna who developed the cult’s guiding motto. The credo of his Society of Muslim Brothers was incorporated into a chant of six short phrases:

Allah is our goal; The Prophet is our Leader; The Qur’an is our Constitution; Jihad is our Way; Death in the service of Allah is the loftiest of our wishes; Allah is Great, Allah is Great.

Al-Banna created a secret or hidden arm of the Ikhwan in Egypt and later worldwide, known as the Special Section (al-nizam al-khass), or, as it was referred to by the British in Egypt, the Secret Apparatus (al-jihaz al-sirri). That was the military wing of the Brotherhood, in effect, the “assassination bureau.” Al-Banna taught his recruits, exclusively male, that “Jihad is an obligation of every Muslim.” He preached the nobility of “Death in the Service of Allah,” and wrote, Allah grants a “noble life to that nation which knows how to die a noble death.” He preached a death cult in which “Victory can only come with the mastery of the ‘Art of Death.’” For the Brotherhood that “mastery” was perfected in the killing of “infidels” in Jihad or Holy War in the name of Allah. The infidels could be other Muslims such as Shi’ite or Sufi who did not follow Al-Banna’s strict Sunni practice, or Christians.

Hasan Al-Banna called for adoption of the very strict Islamic Shari’a law, the complete segregation of male and female students, with a separate curriculum for girls, a prohibition of dancing, and a call for Islamic states to eventually unify in a Caliphate.

During World War II, leading Muslim Brotherhood figures spent exile from British-controlled Egypt by fleeing to Berlin where, among others, Al Banna’s close Muslim brotherhood ally, Amin al-Husseini, the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem, worked intimately with the SS and Heinrich Himmler to create special Muslim Brotherhood terror units of the SS, so-called Handschar SS, to kill Soviet soldiers and Jews. In the 1950’s the CIA discovered the Nazi Muslim Brotherhood recruits in exile in postwar Munich and decided they could be “useful.”

Virtually every major Jihadist terrorist organization and leader has come out of the Muslim Brotherhood. Osama bin Laden, who worked for the CIA in Pakistan recruiting Jihadist Mujahideen to fight the Soviets in Afghanistan, was a Muslim Brotherhood member who was recruited by the CIA and Saudi Intelligence head Prince Turki al-Faisal, to create what came to be called Al Qaeda. Other known terrorist members of the Ikhwan were Al Qaeda’s Ayman Al-Zawahiri, and the blind Sheik Omar Abdul-Rahman who recently died in a US prison serving time for his role in the 1993 World Trade Center bombing. Sheikh Omar was accused of conspiring to assassinate Egypt’s Mubarak and masterminding the Muslim Brotherhood assassination of Anwar Sadat in addition to the bombing of the World Trade Center.

The members of the Obama Administration National Security Council PSD-11 Task Force that recommended a US Government embrace of the terrorist Muslim Brotherhood in Islamic countries of the Arab Middle East, knew very well who they were dealing with. Since the 1950’s the CIA had worked with the Ikhwan around the world. Al Qaeda in Afghanistan, Al Qaeda in Iraq and in Syria, al Nusra Front in Syria, as well as the so-called Islamic State or ISIS all were created out of Muslim Brotherhood networks, changing names as a chameleon lizard changes color to suit its surroundings.

The origins of Al Qaeda in Iraq and Syria and later of ISIS , the murderous wars and chaos sweeping across the Arab Middle East and into Western Europe since 2010, could all be directly traced back to those Washington Obama policies, their so-called Arab Spring, coming from that August 2010 PSD-11 Presidential Task Force directive. This is what threatens to come out with declassification of US Justice Department files in the coming months. Some in Washington speak of treason, a strong word."

"Syria Withdrawal Enrages the Chickenhawks" (Giraldi) (I would have thought it would have been wise to try to make it less obvious!):

"That anyone would regard Boot and Nuland as objective authorities on the Middle East given their ultimate and prevailing loyalty to Israel has to be wondered at, but then again Fred Hiatt is the editorial/opinion page editor and he is of the same persuasion, both ethnically and philosophically. They are all, of course, devoted Zionists and the big lie about what is going on in the region is apparently always worth repeating. As Joseph Goebbels put it in 1941 “…when one lies, one should lie big, and stick to it…even at the risk of looking ridiculous.”"

Anti-gentilism, the scourge of modern times (I'm hoping that this vitally important hatred - a hatred which has directly led to the deaths and ruination of lives of literally tens, if not hundreds, of millions of human beings, and is clearly accelerating - enters common consciousness in 2019):

1. "How clever!" (Lang) (note that the Israelis used commercial airliners as human shields for their attack, with the Syrians/Russians unable to fully respond due to fears of killing civilians - this kind of hatred of the goy as farm animals is absolutely typical of Khazar thinking) (see also:  "Israel Strikes Syria. S-300 Is Not Employed");
2. "Gaza: The Palestinians who died during the Great March of Return" (Nafi/Benoist);
3. "Julia Ioffe Doesn't Want You Wishing Her Merry Christmas" (Fulford) and "Ioffe Jewsplains Oppression" (Age of Treason) and "Julia Ioffe’s twelve days of “Please don’t wish me a merry Christmas”" (Allen) (some of this stuff is so wild it almost sounds like self-parody, but we all know that the Khazars are incapable of making fun of themselves);
4. "Yuletide Message" (Shamir);
5. "Novelist Alice Walker Meets the Khazarian Mafia" (Alexis) and "Alice Walker Explains How David Icke Is Like Malcolm X" (Sailer, who somehow turns it into a Sailer story);
6. "Biggest Stories of 2018: Israel announced Apartheid, Shot Thousands of Civilians" (Cole);
7. "Land of the free" (Roddis)

The striking ubiquity, and sheer violent nastiness, of Khazar anti-gentilism has taught us that insane anti-Christianity is normal, but that is simply not true.  "Christmas makes a comeback in Damascus" (Moubayed).  Tweet (Amal Saad):

"As if the litmus test of Hizbullah's religious tolerance & communal coexistence is celebrating Xmas rather than its role in protecting Christians in Syria and Lebanon from takfiri-jihadis. My mother who was Christian was receiving Xmas cards from Hizbullah as far back as the '90s"

The inevitable repurposing/redeployment of the American proxy army known as ISIS (note that nobody is curious about where all those thousands of ISIS fighters disappeared to, with many of these psychos going 'home', where they will provide gainful employment to local police and crime scene clean-up crews for years): "Islamic State in Ukraine: A Christmas present from the West – George Galloway".  See also a slightly different group of psychos (now in Canada thanks to the wisdom of Justin!):  "Organ Theft, Staged Attacks: UN Panel Details White Helmets’ Criminal Activities" (Bartlett).

"Two new US bases in western Iraq." (Lang). An obvious sop to the Israelis, who would be whining that the removal of US troops from Syria would remove all constraints on the Iranian supply routes to Syria, and thus Hezbollah (also, air).  Which reminds me, the next obvious place for a big US troop withdrawal is Iraq.

"Wag The Dog... British Media Watchdog Accuses Russia Of Bias" (Cunningham).  "Senate Report on Russian Interference Was Written By Disinformation Warriors Behind Alabama ‘False Flag Operation’" (Cohen).  We're seeing parallels in the US and the UK, a new class of 'election grifters' who simultaneously work the racket that Russia improperly influences elections while taking money to improperly influence elections themselves.  You have to laugh.  Also, revelations about the wrongdoing are themselves part of the Russian plot!:  "The Times Claims Russia Must Have Hacked Anti-Russian Propaganda Center Because They Reported on It" (Anglin).  Of course, this fits the general model that the Russian perfidy was educating Americans about facts about Hillary Clinton.

"US offered my family green card if I accused Kremlin of corruption – jailed Russian businessman". Bout, an odd case as the CIA likes to be seen as looking after its assets.

"Spanish Elections a Lesson for the Left" (Hallinan).  Isn't it clear that the 'fascists' are winning as a direct - and no doubt planned - result of the Eurotrash's seeming lack of concern about levels of immigration?

"Fiasco In Islington, Part 2: Gilad Atzmon’s persecutor turns out to be an ultra-extremist Zio-terrorist!" (Barrett).  It is funny how these stories are consistently misreported to hide what is really going on.

"Puzzling Events Surround London-Gatwick Drone Investigation" (Clark).  Unstated is that the weirdness took place right at the end of sale negotiations for the airport.

Beto seems to be a particularly vile variant of the type (see also), practically the perfect exemplar of the Democrat leader.

Steele's recent admissions are important, and thus buried by the (((media))) (and the 'insurance' aspect reflects the strangeness of creating the dossier when everybody knew Killary was going to win):  "The Steele Dossier and the perils of political insurance policies" (Turley):

"Steele’s testimony suggests that the dossier was not just a political hit job but a type of insurance for a catastrophic political event.
The dossier ultimately found its way from a Fusion GPS employee, Nellie Ohr, to her husband, Justice Department official Bruce Ohr. From there, it became the basis of Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) warrants targeting figures like Trump campaign adviser Carter Page, signed off by the Obama administration with the involvement of later-fired FBI director James Comey and his deputy, Andrew McCabe. (Ohr was later demoted over his involvement.) Page was never charged with a crime while key players like Fusion GPS co-founder Glenn Simpson invoked the Fifth Amendment privilege against self-incrimination to refuse to answer further questions from Congress.
The FBI knew the dossier was part of a Clinton campaign operation but told the secret FISA court that it was only speculating about a possible political motive for the material. Notably, however, the FBI’s warrant application indicates that Steele denied knowing the purpose behind the dossier. In the 412-page application, the FBI buries the issue in a footnote, stating that Steele was hired by Fusion GPS to conduct research on Trump and that “The identified U.S. person never advised [Steele] as to the motivation behind the research into [Trump] ties to Russia. The FBI speculates that the identified U.S. Person was likely looking for information that could be used to discredit Candidate #1's campaign.”
We now know that Steele and Fusion GPS aggressively shopped the dossier with any reporter who would listen, while also pitching it to Ohr and the FBI. Notably, the dossier story was broken by investigative journalist Michael Isikoff who recently admitted, “When you actually get into the details of the Steele dossier, the specific allegations, we have not seen the evidence to support them, and, in fact, there’s good grounds to think that some of the more sensational allegations will never be proven and are likely false.”
Steele’s recent comments magnify the concerns. Ultimately, the dossier was used for precisely the purpose described by Steele: It led to the special counsel investigation, which quickly diverted to other criminal allegations unrelated to the dossier’s most sensational claims, like hacking or coordination with WikiLeaks and Russian trolling operations. Indeed, Democratic leaders’ new claims of a “massive fraud” in the election is the alleged violation of campaign finance laws to pay hush money to a porn star and former Playboy bunny.
I supported the appointment of special counsel Robert Mueller, and still support the completion of his investigation without interference. Yet, we should not be willfully blind to the implications of the dossier’s use to support a secret FISA investigation."

"Was Jim Mattis the Last “Adult” in Trump’s Room?" (Van Buren):

"Brett McGurk, the special presidential envoy to the coalition (which is mostly just the U.S.) fighting the Islamic State, has accelerated his resignation by two months, telling colleagues this weekend that he could not in good conscience carry out Trump’s newly declared policy of withdrawing American troops from Syria. No American, it seems, can support in good conscience actually ending a war.
Funny aside: There were no known State Department resignations of protest during the 15 years of atrocities known as the War of Terror (as well as no publicly released dissent memos.)No one quit because of torture, or Abu Ghraib, or Gitmo, or white phosphorus against civilians, or any invasion or drone kill. Zero. That must have all been OK! At the State Department there were only three resignations of conscience over the 2003 Iraq War, and one other related to Afghanistan. In 2016, 51 American diplomats did write a formal dissent memo calling on Obama to order military strikes against the Syrian government. Former Ambassador to Syria Robert Ford is believed to have resigned that post in protest over the Obama administration not going to war in Syria.
McGurk has a long, long history with Iraq and Syria. In fact, he has been the Forrest Gump of the American Gulf Wars.
McGurk worked in Iraq under multiple U.S. ambassadors and through both the Bush and Obama administrations. He was present at nearly every mistake the U.S. made during the years of Occupation. In return for such poor handling of so many delicate issues, McGurk was declared “uniquely qualified” and Obama nominated him as America’s ambassador to Baghdad in 2012. You’d kinda think having that on your resume– I am partially responsible for everything that happened in Iraq for the last ten years, including America’s tail-between-its-legs retreat— might make it hard to get another job running Iraq policy. Who goes out of their way to hire the coach that lost most of his games?
Unfortunately, around that same time a series of near-obscene emails appeared online, showing a sexual relationship between the then-married-to-someone else McGurk, and a then-married-to-someone else female reporter assigned to Baghdad. The emails suggested a) that official U.S. government communications were being used to arrange nooky encounters; b) that McGurk may have shared sensitive information exclusively with this one reporter as pillow talk; c) that he may have ditched his security detail to engage in his affair and d) rumors circulated that a McGurk sex tape, featuring a different woman, existed.
McGurk withdrew his nomination for ambassador and was promptly appointed by the State Department as Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Iraq and Iran, a position without the title of ambassador but one with a significant role in policy making. Conveniently, the position was not competed and did not require any confirmation process. McGurk just walked in to it with the thanks of a grateful nation."

Slightly different spelling, but on point.

Scarce

"Trump reaffirms the U.S. war on Kurdistan" (Cartier):

"On November 6, the U.S. Embassy in Ankara announced that massive bounties were to be placed on three leaders of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK). The rewards for information on Murat Karayilan (up to $5 million), Cemil Bayik (up to $4 million), and Duran Kalkan (up to $3 million) were made after a visit to Turkey by U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Matthew Palmer.

The rewards were largely viewed as a means of the U.S. attempting to appease Turkey and its President Erdogan due to a souring of the relationship between the largest armies in NATO over recent years.
Given that Turkey had long claimed that the U.S. was aiding the PKK in Syria (due to the fact that the PYD is a sister party of the PKK that follows the same ideology of democratic confederalism), the bounties were essentially an olive branch to prove to Turkey that the U.S. had never actually abandoned its ally.

It’s important to understand that as U.S. weapons were being given to Kurdish forces in Syria, those same weapons were being used to murder their comrades within the borders of Iraq and Turkey.

One key example was the August assassination of Zekî Åžengali, a high-ranking Yezidi member of the Kurdistan Communities Union (KCK) and PKK in Shengal, Iraq by Turkish forces – a murder which was committed due to intelligence given to Ankara by the U.S.

In the aftermath of the decision to impose the bounties, the KCK issued a statement in which it said “This unwarranted decision by the U.S. is a continuation of the international plot against Leader Apo. Our people and forces of democracy must rise up at once against the attack that is part of the plot.”

In other words, the KCK took the long view of history, understanding that the imperialist leopard had never changed its spots in the almost 20 years since the CIA and Clinton admini8stration played a key role in the capture of PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan."

"Corbyn's Brexit Predicament" (Studebaker).   Corbyn is always surprisingly woke, but is still in a battle to the death with the Bliarites and Khazars. His strategizing has been (mostly) very good, so I wouldn't count him out just yet, despite various trickery of Remainers/Zionists/assholes.

"A Short History of How the U.S. Went to War in Syria" (Van Buren).  Neither 'Washington' nor the (((media))) have any memory for history whatsoever, but many Americans of the MAGA persuasion remember all too well, especially as the 'history' is still ruining their lives each day.

" Christmas Surprise? Another US, NATO & Ukraine Planned Provocation Against Russia in Black Sea?"  Unfortunately, this might be part of a package, a sop to Sheldon to keep the shekels flowing despite the small outbreak of MAGA in Syria and Afghanistan.

"Trump Is Irresponsibly Worrying About American Border Rather Than Syria" (Sailer).  There remains a remarkable lack of awareness in the (((media))) generally about how this anti-gentilism, and the idea that it is a right to expect Americans to look after the Khazar Empire before their own interests, wealth, and lives, would appear to the MAGA Americans.

This is a joy throughout:  "Scarce News on Admiral Stearney’s Death" (Martin):

"If you are a regular reader of The Jerusalem Post you would have learned on December 1 that the top officer for all U.S. Navy operations in the Middle East, Vice Admiral Scott Stearney, had been found dead in his home in Bahrain. The Reuters wire story that The Jerusalem Post was simply passing on was an official statement from U.S. Chief of Naval Operations, John Richardson. The statement gave no cause of death or any other information except to assure us that foul play was not suspected.

If you get your news from The Washington Post, on the other hand, you wouldn’t even know that much, right up to the time that I am penning this report. Try searching “Scott Stearney Washington Post” and see what you get. Nothing comes up related to his death, no matter what search engine you use. Can one think of a greater reason to be suspicious of Admiral Stearney’s death than that? Surely The Post must know that the death of this very important man, who had some 20,000 subordinates, is newsworthy. If it were clearly of natural causes or the result of an accident, could there be any doubt that they would have at least reported it? At the same time the death is so mysterious that the Navy feels obligated to volunteer that there couldn’t have been any foul play involved.

So what was the cause of the Admiral’s death? On the next day, December 2, The Washington Times prepared us by telling us that it was “likely a suicide” according to reports, CBS and lots of other news organs then nailed it down with the old familiar “apparent suicide” mantra. (That’s the other “David Martin” who contributed to the CBS report.)

So what was it about the death that has satisfied the Navy and the Bahrain police that there was no foul play and that suicide is the most apparent cause? Was there a suicide note? Had Stearney indicated any signs of depression? By what manner did Stearney take his own life? Did he shoot himself through the mouth into the head like they tell us Vince Foster did or twice in the head as they say Gary Webb did? Did he shoot himself in the chest, as they say Admiral Jeremy Michael Boorda did? Did he slice his wrists and bleed to death in his bathtub, like they tell us Danny Casalaro did? Did he hang himself as they say Deborah Jeane Palfrey, the “DC Madam,” did? Did he leap to his death as they say James Forrestal and Gus Weiss and Frank Olson did?

Three weeks have now passed and not one of these basic questions has been answered. Even worse, no one in our supposedly fierce and aggressive press is even asking them, from all indications. Number one in the Seventeen Techniques for Truth Suppression seems to be the order of the day. They’re all just dummying up."

Integrity

"“Throw Them All Out!” The Yellow Vests Uprising in France" (Marlière).  Leaderless, unmediated democracy makes everybody nervous.  There is an accepted standard-bearer group for each political persuasion, and it is understood that any political uprisings of that type will be taken over and herded by the appropriate leaders, so any enthusiasms won't lead to any real problems.

Tweet (Louis Allday):

"In many cases, the people who are now bemoaning the potential withdrawal of US military forces from Syria are the very same people who spent years pretending they weren't there, that the US "hadn't intervened" and slandering anyone who pointed out that it had on a massive scale."

Tweet (Joe Catron):

"I don't think critics of Trump's withdrawal from Syria and reduction of forces in Afghanistan are simply shameless political opportunists, as some do. I think they're genuinely pro-war and horrified by any steps, however modest, to limit the United States' imperial footprint."

Tweet (Hillary Clinton), and its responses!:

"Actions have consequences, and whether we’re in Syria or not, the people who want to harm us are there & at war. Isolationism is weakness. Empowering ISIS is dangerous. Playing into Russia & Iran’s hands is foolish. This President is putting our national security at grave risk."

"Facebook Censoring Images Of Starving Children In Yemen".

"“Canadian Terror Patsies” Walk Free… but Media Cover-up Begins re “TRAVESTY OF JUSTICE”" (Greencrow).  The Canadian courts have consistently been appalling in allowing  entrapment by government-paid agents in railroading Muslims for supposed terrorist planning.  The first time a court gets it right the (((media))) has nothing to say about it, because it doesn't fit the (((narrative))).  It is true that these entrapment cases become false-flags if they are allowed to run to their conclusion, whether intentionally or, like in Oklahoma City, through police incompetence.

"The Other Gulf State That Is Manipulating U.S. Mideast Policy" (Beam/Low).  MbZ.  Much more dangerous than MbS, as MbZ is not an idiot.

"Ex-Diplomat: US Elites Alarmed That Trump May Accomplish Promised Foreign Policy". Despite Trump being captured by Sheldon's shekels, the never-Trumpers - like Kristol - have always been motivated by the fear that Trump would eventually do what he campaigned on.

"Trump made the right decision to quit Syrian conflict" (Bhadrakumar):

"The alliance with the Kurdish militia in Syria has severely damaged US-Turkish relations. Turkey will never allow the creation of a Kurdish homeland on its borders, and it has a congruence of interests with Iraq and Iran – and even Syria – in this regard.

On the other hand, without a strong partnership with Turkey, a “swing” state overlooking several regions, American strategies not only in the Greater Middle East but also in the Eastern Mediterranean, the Balkans, the Black Sea and the Caucasus will be at a serious disadvantage. Now, is that something the US can afford?

The US has done a great injustice to the Kurds by giving them false hopes. Leave them alone. They will reconcile with Damascus, availing of the good offices of Russians who have dealt with them from time immemorial.

Plainly put, the Pentagon’s trainers and Special Forces “embedded” with Kurdish men and women fighters helped develop romantic notions of creating an independent country for their partners. This should never have happened. "

"British Government Covert Anti-Russian Propaganda and the Skripal Case" (Murray).  Possible evidence that the wonderfully-named Integrity Initiative ran/runs the Skripal false-flag.

"White Helmets Engaged in Looting, Human Organ Trafficking in Syria – Watchdog".  Luckily, Justin has solved Canada's illegal organ shortage.

This is part of the convoluted Khazar campaign to get Sarsour - treif, as she has Kevin Bacon thing going on with Farrakhan - removed from the Resistance:  "Women’s March in Washington State Disbands Citing Farrakhan Ties to National Leadership".

Ergotism

I haven't been thrilled with most of what I've been reading about Trump's stated decision to get the US troops out of NE Syria - most of it is pedestrian going-through-the-motions punditry, as if something is required to be said, but there's not much to say.

The best thing about the announcement is that, as part of The Clarification, it brought the Clintonistas into the open, complaining about the loss of a War For The Jews based entirely on the perceived 'win' for Putin/Assad/Iran, muttered with the usual hints of Trump corruption.  We have to recognize that the Clintonistas aren't just stupid, they are literally the lowest form of warmongering monsters.  There is not even a pretense any longer - they've gone full Dick Cheney:  "Fox News National Security Reporter: 'No One Will Ever Work Or Fight With Us In The Middle East Again'" and "On Fox 'News,' Brian Kilmeade Spouts Epic Rant Against Trump On Syria" (Amato displaying the Clinton-Murdoch mind-meld) and "Trump's Syria Withdrawal An Early Christmas Present For Putin" (Madrak; note the simultaneous lifting of some sanctions from Deripaska) and "Trump’s Hall of Mirrors" (Marshall; at least Marshall indicates that he is aware of the bizarre nature of the 'left' complaining about an end to war!).

"WATCH: Media Losing Their Minds Over Craven ‘Russiagate’ Coverage".

Note that the announcement was another Trump tweet, with apparently no head's up to anybody on the usual policy-veto list - Pentagon, IC, Cabinet, Congress, World Jewry - which is literally the only way he could get away with it!

"The IDF must cut short tunnel operation, get set for repercussions from Trump’s stunning Syria withdrawal" (DEBKAFile; my emphasis in red):

"Israel’s leaders – government, military and intelligence – were dumbfounded by US President Donald Trump’s decision to pull US troops out of Syria as part of its withdrawal from the Mid-East at large. Senior ministers received no answers to their urgent calls to the prime minister’s office and Military Intelligence (AMAN) officers for confirmation of the news. Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, himself, only received word of the decision just five minutes before it hit Twitter, DEBKAfile sources have learned, although he talked to the president and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo some days ago. In recent conversations with US National Security Adviser John Bolton, as well as Pompeo, about the IDF operation against Hizballah tunnels, both US officials assured Netanyahu that he had nothing to worry about. US troops were present in eastern and northern Syria, they said, and they would not let pro-Iranian Iraqi militias come through from western Iraq to the aid of Hizballah.
Israeli officials were further dismayed early Thursday, Dec. 20, when they understood that the only leaders to receive prior notice of Trump’s decision were Russian President Vladimir Putin and Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan. This was inferred from intelligence of a secret deal, which the president’s adviser on Syrian affairs James Jeffrey had reached with Erdogan and which opened the way for Turkish military movements in Syria in the wake of the US pullout.
As recently as Monday, Dec. 17, Jeffrey told the Atlantic Council in Washington in a speech: “The eventual goal of the mainly-Kurdish Syrian Defense Forces (SDF) should be to become part of the fabric of a changed Syrian society. We do not have permanent relationships with sub-state entities.” This was taken as a clear repudiation of US responsibility for the fate of its Kurdish allies.
The coming issue of DEBKA Weekly (for subscribers), out on Friday, Dec.21, uncovers the secret decision-making process at the White House which led up to the Trump decision without Israel picking up a hint of its purpose. (Click here to subscribe.)

Some clues could have been picked up, for instance, from Russia’s deployment in early December of an S-300 air defense battalion in the Deir ez-Zour province of eastern Syria, without demur from Washington, although US troops were nearby. DEBKAfile alone reported the Russian move at the time.
Israel is also discovering in the last few hours that Tehran and Hizballah stayed silent when Israel launched its operation to uncover Hizballah tunnels last week – not because they were taken aback, as some Israeli officials claimed – but because they had advance notice of the US withdrawal – either from Moscow or from Ankara – and saw it being totally eclipsed in importance by the sensation about to be landed by President Trump."

This kind of surprise Twitter announcement of a big change that profoundly upset a lot of warmongers, and might even be evidence of a real reset of the American attitude to war, sends a powerful message even to the people running Mueller, that Trump has cards he can play, and is prepared to play them, if they decide to continue to mess with him.  What if he suddenly surprisingly announced a new era of friendship with Iran?!  His supporters would have no problem with that, but the 'one-issue guys' would have heart attacks.  This kind of thing if allowed to continue - metastasizing peacemongering - could turn into a fucking disaster:  "U.S. to Withdraw About 7,000 Troops From Afghanistan, Officials Say":

"President Trump made the decision to pull the troops — about half the number the United States has in Afghanistan now — at the same time he decided to pull American forces out of Syria, one official said."

'Ergotism'.

"False flag confession" (Robinson):

"To summarise, what we have here are some Americans pretending to be Russians pretending to be Americans, with the aim of smearing a political candidate with what they knew to be a false accusation. And yet we are meant to trust these same people as neutral reporters on the matter of Russian ‘meddling’ in American democracy. It strikes me that they have something of a credibility problem."

"Trump’s Decision to Leave Syria Was No ‘Surprise’" (Perry; damaged, however, by saying ISIS is finished):

"While the announcement took much of official Washington by surprise, The American Conservative has learned that a select group of administration officials, as well as a handful of senior military officers, knew of Trump’s decision as early as Saturday morning. According to these officials, all of whom required anonymity in exchange for the information, Trump’s decision came as a result of a lengthy telephone exchange he had had with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Friday. Everything that Trump announced today, we have been told, was decided in that call.

That telephone discussion, as one of these officials told us, was the latest in “a series of conversations the two have had over the last weeks on a host of issues,” including the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, Erdogan’s insistence that the U.S. extradite cleric Fethullah Gulen to Turkey, U.S. worries about Iranian meddling in the region—and continuing U.S. support for Kurdish forces operating in Syria (led by the People Protection Units—the YPG), which Turkey views as a terrorist organization. It was this last issue that was the focus of Friday’s telephone call, spurred by Erdogan’s public pledge 48 hours earlier that he was prepared to order his military into Syria to take on the YPG despite U.S. backing.

“We will begin our operation to free the east of the Euphrates [river] from the separatist organization within a few days,” Erdogan had said on Wednesday. “Our target is not American soldiers, it is the terror organizations that are active in the region.”

During Friday’s telephone call, Erdogan once again took a hard line against the Kurds, and the administration’s support for them. A part of his argument was that the U.S. had said it was allying with the Kurds to destroy ISIS which, as Erdogan argued, had been accomplished. Nor was Erdogan influenced by Trump’s contention that the U.S. needed to remain in Syria in order to check Iranian influence in the region. Erdogan, we have been told, was ready for the argument: the best hedge against Iran, he told Trump, was not the Kurds, or even the Saudis, but Turkey.

Erdogan, as it turns out, wasn’t the only one making that argument. As reported in these pages last April, senior U.S. military officers, including Gen. Curtis Michael “Mike” Scaparrotti (the highly respected head of the U.S. European Command), warned that the U.S. “marriage of convenience” with the YPG in its fight against ISIS in Syria was poisoning its relationship with Turkey—a NATO ally. Turkey, as Scaparrotti told James Mattis in March, was particularly angry that the U.S. was supporting the YPG’s deployment to Manbij, threatening Turkish forces some 70 miles away. So what is more important, Scaparrotti asked Mattis, our relationship with the Kurds, or our relationship with Turkey? Gen. Jospeh Votel, the head of Centcom, pushed back against Scaparrotti, saying that America’s “marriage of convenience” was “temporary, tactical and transactional” and essential to defeating ISIS.

And so it was that the Scaparrotti-Votel debate was both postponed (with the administration supporting Votel’s position until ISIS could be decisively defeated) and papered over—with the Mattis and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo issuing regular reassurances to Turkey that the U.S.-YPG relationship was only temporary. Now, with Trump’s decision, the debate has been resolved. “Somewhere, you can bet, Joe Votel is absolutely spinning his head into the ceiling,” a senior military officer told me. “I don’t know what to call this—but it sounds like Scaparrotti’s revenge.” Perhaps, but for Syria experts and for those in the military who supported Votel’s position, while Trump’s decision on a full U.S. withdrawal came as a surprise, it might have been predicted."

"Trump’s Syrian pullout is a game changer" (Bhadrakumar).  Trump had to decide whether he wanted to fight a war with Turkey or not, a war which could lead to the end of NATO.  When Sheldon confronts him, that's the argument.  Do you want to lose NATO, and its new position as Army For The Jews, over some irrelevant desert which isn't going to let you get anywhere with Yinonizing Syria anyway?  NATO is (((your))) army for WWIII!  Putin's diplomats gamed this whole thing out, realizing from the start that the Turk-Kurd issue was the key lever to spare Syria from the planned Yinonization.

"Turkey's Erdogan Vows "All Measures" To Circumvent Sanctions On Iran" (Durden).  Although Trump got a missile order out of the withdrawal, and I wouldn't be surprised to see the Turks stop squawking about Khashoggi (I can see MbS asking his bff President Jared to do something to get them to shut up!), agreeing to Iran sanctions doesn't appear to have been on the table, and there is notably no mention of Iran having to go as a precondition of American withdrawal.  "National security adviser John Bolton, who said U.S. troops would remain in Syria until all Iranian forces and Iranian-backed militias have been expelled, appears not to have been speaking for his president."!

"What Can Follow America’s Withdrawal From Syria" (Kadi):

"Knowingly or inadvertently, the American withdrawal from Syria, if it happens, will take a huge bargaining chip away from the hand of Erdogan in as far as his relationship with Russia is concerned. Erdogan will no longer be able to say to Russia that if Russia wants him to deal with America’s presence, then Russia must accept the deal with Idlib too.

In short and simple terms, the American withdrawal, if it happens, will take the decision of what happens in Idlib out of Erdogan’s hands."

"Trump Criticized For Breaking With Longstanding American Tradition Of Remaining In Middle Eastern Countries Indefinitely"  This is satire, but there is a deep political issue in taking the first step at withdrawing from a War For The Jews, a war, like all of them, that was always directly against MAGA.  You can always just pick up and leave, a reality that is officially impossible in today's beshekeled Washington.  The concentration camp guard understands the problem:  "Mattis Always Understood Trump’s Severe Defects" (we have to assume that Shlomo came around the other day, schlepping a huge thank-you bag for Mattis, who picked a very specific hill to die on):

". . . the Mattis critique is foundational: The president he serves, he suggests in his letter, does not understand the value of allies, or the immorality of disparaging and abandoning them. Trump, as my colleague David Frum notes, is abandoning America’s Kurdish allies in Syria to extremism and terror, and he is abandoning Afghanistan to the Taliban. Mattis always knew that Trump lacked an understanding of why autocracy is the enemy of the American idea. But Mattis operated under the illusion that he could change Trump’s views, or at least some of his foolish ways. Yesterday marked the end of the illusion.

Mattis’s departure also means that the United States is entering the third phase of Trump’s foreign policy. In the first year of his presidency, Trump paid attention mainly to domestic issues, and did not afflict America’s diplomatic and national-security establishment with an undue number of his ignorant and damaging foreign-policy views. In the second year, he became more destructively engaged, but he listened, on occasion, to those in his administration who possessed actual expertise in foreign policy. We are now entering the third year of his presidency, and third phase of his foreign policy: Trump alone, besieged, but believing, perhaps more than ever, in the inerrancy of his beliefs.

James Mattis knew who Trump was, and joined him anyway, because he is a patriot. And because he is a patriot, he would have remained with Trump, if he thought he could influence Trump’s policies. But whatever influence he had, he lost.

And now the dangerous part begins."

It's times like these when I would be worried about assassination.  I wouldn't expect the concentration camp guard to burn bridges with Trump if he feared Trump was going to be around much longer.

Amid all the good news, there's also still hope for Canada.  "B.C. votes to keep first-past-the-post electoral system".  Tweets by Shachi Kurl.  They wouldn't be running this up the flagpole if they didn't fear Justin was losing his mojo:  "Ottawa weighs fallout of cancelling Saudi arms deal".

Israel should not exist!

"Is Canada Huawei Arrest Attempt to Sabotage Trump Xi Talks?" (Engdahl) (!):

"Rather than retaliate by going after the many top US executives in China, it arrested a former Canadian diplomat in Beijing on suspicion of “endangering national security,” as well as a Canadian entrepreneur with business ties to North Korea.

The connections of that former Canadian diplomat are more than interesting.

Michael Kovrig previously worked as a Canadian diplomat in Beijing, Hong Kong and the United Nations. Chinese national security police took him into custody on December 10 in Beijing. Kovrig is officially listed as “North East Asia adviser” for something called the International Crisis Group.

The International Crisis Group is an NGO with a knack for being involved in key conflict zones such as Myanmar. The magazine Third World Quarterly in a peer-reviewed article in 2014 accused the ICG of “manufacturing” crises.

It was founded by Trump nemesis and Hillary Clinton supporter, George Soros. The Trustees of Kovrig’s employer, the International Crisis Group, include some very notable names. One is of course founder and funder, George Soros. Another trustee is a Canadian billionaire, Frank Guistra. Make a note of the name as it is likely to appear in the news in coming weeks as details emerge of FBI and other US investigations into illegal or shady dealings of the tax-exempt Clinton Foundation. Frank Giustra President & CEO, Fiore Financial Corporation, is a big donor to the Clinton Foundation where he also sits on the board.

His Giustra Foundation works with Elevate Social Businesses, formerly Clinton Giustra Enterprise Partnership, the International Crisis Group, Global Refugee Sponsorship Initiative, and other partners. Guistra’s UrAsia Energy Ltd. appears in the investigation of the infamous Uranium One scandal during Hillary Clinton’s term as Secretary of State, which some believe is the real “Russiagate” scandal. Soon we will know more as litigation in the US proceeds.

In sum, it appears that Xi Jinping has chosen a highly interesting target for retaliation in the Canadian arrest of Huawei’s CFO. To date it appears that, if it were the aim of certain dark networks in US and Canadian governments and intelligence to sabotage any constructive USA-China dialogue by the unprecedented arrest of the Huawei senior executive, it may have backfired. The next weeks will tell more."

"Avant le déluge: El Salvador election will drive more asylum-seekers north" (Madsen).  Back to ARENA, d'Aubuisson, and death squads.  As shat upon as El Salvador has been, largely by the Americans, it is impossible to have any sympathy for people who vote like this. What the fuck is wrong with these people? Oh (read the whole thing and note the constant Israeli evil, and a possible explanation of who is behind the caravan conspiracy):

"Protestant fundamentalists are eclipsing the traditional power of the Roman Catholic Church in Latin America, with Protestants in Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua now numbering 40 percent of the population. Many of the Protestants are recent converts from Catholicism and are members of Charismatic and Pentecostal denominations based in the United States. In every country where leftist governments are plagued by right-wing insurgencies—Nicaragua, Venezuela, Bolivia, and Cuba—the right-wing forces are backed by the Israelis and U.S. fundamentalist groups. These U.S. groups, such as those led by pastors John Hagee, Robert Jeffress, Paula White, and Jerry Falwell, Jr., are in lockstep with the Trump administration and Israel. These groups and individuals, all favoring Trump’s southern border “wall,” are largely responsible for supporting Central American autocracies, propped up by Protestant fundamentalists, that are driving refugees to the U.S. southern border. The question that should asked of the asylum-seekers is: “Are you a Catholic?” The answers may be surprising."

"Airbnb tries to have it both ways on those ‘incredibly complex and emotional’ — and illegal — settlements" (Ofir).  Note the classic Khazar technique of using the (((media))) to lie about something that they intend to have happen, using the lie to nudge the events in the direction they want.  Note also how they immediately unleashed 'Zionist hell' by seeking the support of the vilest and most beshekeled American politicians.

"US Sanctions Against Iran" (Dinh) ("Israel should not exist!"):

"Last month, I was interviewed by Jamejam Daily, an Iranian newspaper. Below is the English version:

There are calls inside and outside the country that Iranian officials would do well to get real about the US demands and drink the coup of poison sooner rather than later. They say the US “maximum pressure campaign” has already inflicted acute strains on Iran’s economy. What’s your view? What should Iran do? Will Iran prove capable of enduring the sanctions?

The US is withdrawing from the Iran nuclear deal because of pressure from Israel, that’s all. As long as Israel exists, Iran will be targeted. Israel was behind the American war against Iraq and Libya, and it’s seeking to destroy Syria and Iran also. Israel was founded on terror, and is maintained by terror, so peace won’t come to the Middle East until Israel disappears."

Not the Onion:  "Alysin Camerota: What Will Congress Do About Russia's Stunning Propaganda Attacks?" (Madrak).  Greenwald tweets.  Moon.

"Amazon and Facebook Reportedly Had a Secret Data-Sharing Agreement, and It Explains So Much" (Hill).  "The Latest Facebook Scandal: Netflix, Spotify Could Read Private Messages, Yandex Was Given IDs" (Durden).

"As A Final Fuck You To Free Speech On Tumblr, Verizon Blocked Archivists".

"The Trump Coup Is a Threat to Our Republic by Larry Johnson".  Is it 'ironic' that the investigation against Trump is intended to cover up the same kind of manipulation, partly from outsiders, and partly by the American IC, that Trump and Putin are accused of?  Mueller hasn't gotten anywhere, but he has moved the conversation away from the actual illegal and unconstitutional acts and actors.

"VT Wins Again: Second woman claims billionaire perv Jeffrey Epstein ‘directed’ her to have sex with Alan Dershowitz" (Brown).  Everything about this was supposed to be dead and buried with the plea agreement, and the usual shekels spread around to keep victims quiet, and I am shocked that truth keeps oozing out.

"Why we're all children of the corn now" (MetaFilter).  Both the Twitter links - in case there is a problem, here and here - are superb.

The year of the international Israel Boycot

Solid truth:  "Let's Boycott Israel and Its Friends" (Giraldi):

"Ron Unz has suggested that Beijing might just want to execute a quid pro quo by pulling the licenses of Sheldon Adelson’s casinos operating in Macau, China and shutting them down, thereby eliminating a major source of his revenue. Why go after an Israeli-American casino operator rather than taking steps directly against the U.S. government? The answer is simple. Pressuring Washington is complicated as there are many players involved and unlikely to produce any positive results while Adelson is the prime mover on much of the Trump foreign policy, though one hesitates to refer to it as a policy at all.

Adelson is the world’s leading diaspora Israel-firster and he has the ear of the president of the United States, who reportedly speaks and meets with him regularly. And Adelson uses his considerable financial resources to back up his words of wisdom. He is the fifteenth wealthiest man in America with a reported fortune of $33 billion. He is the number one contributor to the GOP having given $81 million in the last cycle. Admittedly that is chump change to him, but it is more than enough to buy the money hungry and easily corruptible Republicans.

In a certain sense, Adelson has obtained control of the foreign policy of the political party that now controls both the White House and the Senate, and his mission in life is to advance Israeli interests. Among those interests is the continuous punishment of Iran, which does not threaten the United States in any way, through employment of increasingly savage sanctions and threats of violence, which brings us around to the arrest of Meng and the complicity of Adelson in that process. Adelson’s wholly owned talking head National Security Adviser John Bolton reportedly had prior knowledge of the Canadian plans and may have actually been complicit in their formulation. Adelson has also been the major force behind moving the U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem, has also convinced the Administration to stop its criticism of the illegal Israeli settlements on Arab land and has been instrumental in cutting off all humanitarian aid to the Palestinians. He prefers tough love when dealing with the Iranians, advocating dropping a nuclear bomb on Iran as a warning to the Mullahs of what more might be coming if they don’t comply with all the American and Israeli demands.

Meanwhile another Israeli, Haim Saban has performed similar work with the Democrats, contributing $5 million to their coffers, making him the top donor to the party. Saban has said that he is a “one issue guy, and my issue is Israel.”"

and:

"How does one right the sinking ship? For starters, the Ron Unz formula for correcting the problem with China provides an excellent roadmap. Israel and its friends do not have a grip on congress, the White House and the media because they are wonderful warm people that others find to be sympathetic. It is difficult even to imagine a scintillating conversation with a malignant toad like Sheldon Adelson. Israel’s ability to corrupt and misdirect is all based on Jewish money, a process in which Zionist oligarchs buy their way to power and access. So the solution is to hit back where it really hurts – boycott Israel and Israeli products and do the same for the companies that are the sources of income for the American Jews who are the principal supporters of the Zionist project.

The United States Congress is currently moving to make it illegal to openly advocate boycotts of Israel or even to inquire about doing so, while 25 states have already also done the same to a greater or lesser extent. Last week a speech therapist in Texas was fired from a job she had held for nine years because she refused to sign an oath affirming that she would not boycott Israel. It is a measure of Jewish power in the U.S. that American politicians choose to provide cover for Israel’s misdeeds even if it means the end of the First Amendment and free speech. But punitive steps intended to intimidate any and all critics of Israel aside, there is no reason why consumers cannot exercise judgement over what they buy and what they are supporting through their spending. If you want to visit Las Vegas, by all means go, but don’t patronize the casinos and hotels owned by Sheldon Adelson, which include The Venetian and Sands Resort.

Democratic party major donor Haim Saban, meanwhile, is a producer of Hollywood children’s entertainment, including the lucrative Power Rangers. You can stop your children from watching his violent programming and tell the network’s advertisers why you are doing so. And then there are businessmen including Bernard Marcus, who is a co-founder of Home Depot and a major supporter of Israel, and Robert Kraft, owner of the New England Patriots. No one really has to spend $1000 to go to a football game, particularly if the owner is a good friend of Benjamin Netanyahu, and if you need something for your home or are seeking entertainment, choose to spend your dollars somewhere else. Readers can do the homework for the businesses and services that they normally patronize. If outspoken advocates for Israel own the company, take your dollars elsewhere.

As it is nearly impossible in the United States to vote for a politician who is in any way critical of Israel, those who are opposed to the terrible damage that the Israelis and their domestic lobby are doing to the U.S. can instead vote with their purchasing power. It does not afford the same pleasure as “throwing the bums out,” but there will be considerable satisfaction in being able to strike back against a powerful lobby that is so hubristic and insensitive to any criticism that it has become completely tone deaf.

Apart from domestic considerations, observers have noted that Israeli treatment of the Palestinians has been worse than apartheid under South Africa yet South Africa was subjected to multiple boycotts and bans on its participation in international fora, to include even sporting competitions. It is past time to do the same to Israel, which has been shooting dead hundreds of unarmed Palestinians for months now without paying any price at all. Boycotting Israel internationally is a good start. It is non-violent and proportionate and it just might be an idea that will spread and finally bring about some payback for what Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his cabal of war criminals have done and continue to do. As the end of 2018 approaches, it would be something to look forward to if 2019 just might turn out to be the year of the international Israel Boycott."

Other than picking up a couple Canadians, China has been taking the high road on the Meng outrage, presumably hoping that diplomacy will cause Trump to call off his yapping dog Trudeau - for one thing, Meng probably doesn't want to have to stay away from Vancouver forever - and that a nuclear option won't be necessary, but if they need to conclude the issue a casual threat to Sheldon over those casino licenses should fix the problem up very quickly, a fact that should demonstrate what is really going on here.

"The Detention of Huawei’s CFO is Legally Justified. Why Doesn’t the U.S. Say So?" (Ku) (same argument here, with an incoherent headline:  "Why the US needs to stand with Canada and set aside politics in the prosecution of Huawei’s CFO").  From a site called Lawfare, the kind of legalistic quibbling that got the Merchant of Venice in trouble (they seem to have a shabbos goy on staff for this kind of thing).  Everybody knows what is really going on ('Hello, Newman!').  Regardless of the statute they hang their kippahs on, the situation is the same - shekel-driven American laws are illegally enforced outside the US by having vassal states abuse their extradition laws.  The fact it is a banking statute rather than a sanctions statute is irrelevant, and a laughable attempt at taking the shekels.

"Israel on Death Row" (Taxi).

"The Rogue Crown Prince & the Dangerous US-Saudi-Israel Alliance" (Wilkerson interviewed by Jay):

"LARRY WILKERSON: Unfortunately, the latest element in that strategy, and it might make the–I don’t know if MBS was the architect of this, but if he was then it might make me re-evaluate at least somewhat my appraisal of him–the tacit alliance between Saudi Arabia and Israel. This is one of the most dangerous alliances of convenience the region has ever seen, because what it does is it gives Saudi Arabia not only the patina of protection that it’s enjoyed, that you just elaborated, ever since FDR, but it now gives it the additional more modern, and more powerful at the moment, cosmetic of being allied with Israel. Because that is what makes U.S. policy in the region. As Gideon Levy of Ha’aretz said the other day, U.S. Middle East policy is not made in Washington. It’s made in Tel Aviv. He is absolutely right. And now it’s made in Tel Aviv-Riyadh because of this tacit alliance between Netanyahu and Mohammed bin Salman.
This is extremely dangerous for the United States. And I dare say there aren’t five people in the government currently in Washington who understand what I just said.
PAUL JAY: And it seems to me that the real reason Lindsey Graham is so concerned–and I use Lindsey as a symbol for a whole stratum of people, as I say, in both parties–is because the real foreign policy agenda of the Trump administration, of the Lindsey Grahams of this world, and to some extent the Chuck Schumers of this world, is to go after Iran. And when Lindsey Graham says MBS is not a reliable ally–but I think that’s what he’s talking about. He’s screwing up our plan to go after Iran with all this crazy shit.
LARRY WILKERSON: Exactly. And Saudi Arabia, of course, as Bob Gates said so eloquently, wants to fight Iran to the last dead American. I wouldn’t accuse Israel of that. Israel would, for example, put its soldiers, sailors, airmen, Marines on our C17s and fly to Iran tomorrow morning and fight them in the streets. So at least Israel’s got that going for it, a little bit of courage.
But Saudi Arabia wants us to do the job for them. We just might do that with this current regime, for the reasons you just briefly mentioned, and also for other reasons that I’m not even sure the President is aware of, but John Bolton is vividly aware of. So this is, as I said, this is an extremely dangerous situation. And the position that the tacit alliance between Riyadh and Tel Aviv has put the United States in is one of extreme danger.
PAUL JAY: How concerned are you that between now and 2020, given how important this attack on Iran is, whether it’s–I’m not talking about invasion attack, but whether it’s bombing infrastructure, something to really weaken Iran and try to bring down the regime.
LARRY WILKERSON: That’s just it; you can’t do it with bombs, Paul. You know, this is a very inexperienced regime even with regard to the military members that are in it, like Joe Mattis. Joe Mattis is a Marine. Joe Mattis might think–I don’t think he does, but he might think–that bombing would be adequate. I don’t think he wants to do anything with regard to force in Iran. But he might think if he has to do something, bombing would be OK because it wouldn’t put any lives in danger other than the ones on the end of the bombs.
PAUL JAY: Where I was headed with this is when you have somebody like Bolton having such influence and all of this and others, how concerned are you that we might see a, quote-unquote, some kind of terrorist attack on American soil blamed on Iranians that’s really, you know, to use the term, some kind of false flag operation?
LARRY WILKERSON: That’s always a fear, especially now that we’ve got so much of this going around the world, and we’ve got so many people saying things every day that are untrue and yet believed by at least a third or more of Americans. And we made lying just a routine in Washington. So yes, it is somewhat to be feared. I don’t think, though, that that would make major military operations kick off unless it were a 9/11-like attack on the United States, and then all bets are off.
I don’t think we would be able to sell that sort of thing with respect to Tehran, though, as easily as we sold it with respect to Baghdad. I just don’t think we would be that big of dupes again. And when I say we, I mean the majority of the American people. I may be wrong, and I may be proven wrong. But I think there will be the kind of hue and cry that I saw stop President Obama from putting troops on the ground, major formations of troops on the ground, in Syria. And I think that hue and cry would be directed at the Congress and the White House. And I think some of the people who’d be crying the loudest would be Trump’s base."

"What Does Israel ‘Occupy’?" (Alcott).  The classic lite Zionist trick is to distinguish the original theft from later thefts, and pretend to deal with the later thefts (in reality, just buying time for more theft) to guard against challenges to the original theft.

"EXCLUSIVE: Vanessa Beeley Interviews Yemen’s Ministry of Health Spokesperson, Dr Youself Al-Haderi".  Unstated background is that the MbS/MbZ 'unstoppable' mercenary armies aren't beating the Houthis, and the operation has bogged down.  Killing civilians has taken the place of killing resistance fighters.  I'm hoping that the fact that both MbS and MbZ need a face-saving way to extract themselves from this mess will eventually lead to some conclusion, but the present phony negotiations aren't it.

"Send In The Clowns." (Brazil Wire).  We're seeing it in Canada in Ontario, and Americans have seen quite a bit of it with Trump (Zinke is a classic example), but there is this group of really weird people who are usually unnoticed and hang around the edges of right-wing politics.  Often, they are part of a small core group of friends/enablers/fixers/gang-members/thugs/drug dealers of the weirdo who somehow finds himself in power.  Their ideas are so marginal that they are, at most, the object of scorn and mocking, but nobody figures they are important enough to pay attention to.  These 'populist' leaders get in, and suddenly, these entourages of crazies are running things.  It is quite something to see.  Sadly, a lot of the damage they do is very difficult to fix.

"How Putin's Russia Weaponizes X" (Moon).  Also, the virtue-signalers of the 'left' are now saying that Putin, that rascal!, specifically targeted those dumb black people:  "Russian 2016 Influence Operation Targeted African-Americans on Social Media" (Shane/Frenkel).  This is part of the bigger idea that there is no race problem in America, and the unrest is just Putin stirring ignorant people up.

"Jewish #Pissgate Peddler Admits the Document’s Claims are “Likely False”" (Anglin):

"I understand that this gets a little bit confusing, but here’s the story:

• Obama and co. wanted to spy on Trump during the campaign to try to find some dirt
• Hillary Clinton had been funding a fake “opposition research” document through Fusion GPS
• A key figure at Fusion GPS was married to a key Justice Department official
• James Comey and Rod Rosenstein knew that the document was paid for by Hillary Clinton, knew it was not real, and yet used it to get a FISA warrant to spy on Carter Page, and through him the entire Trump team
• As secondary proof, there was a Yahoo! News article by the Jew Isikoff that said the same things as the Steele Dossier, which had been given to him by Fusion GPS
• Bruce Ohr, whose wife helped put the document together, vouched for its veracity
• The Jew Weissmann, who was also aware that the document was fake and was working with the Ohr’s to produce it, also vouched for its authenticity
• After Comey was fired, he cited the document again, and Rosenstein, who also knew the document was fake and was with Comey signing off on it being used the first time, used it again to appoint the special counsel
• Mueller’s team was then filled with people like Lisa Page, Peter Strzok (lovers who worked at the FBI trying to stop Trump from being elected) and Andrew Weissmann (Jew Justice Department official who helped create Pissgate)

If that all seems incredibly goofy, that is because it is.
None of these people ever expected any of this to become public, so they didn’t really bother doing a very good job with the conspiracy.
But now, it is all out there in the public, shown to be a total hoax from start to finish, meaning that by rights, the entire Mueller probe should be thrown out, and any sentence that has resulted from this investigation vacated.
But instead, this train just keeps on rolling. Even though no one denies any of what I just said – this is all on public record."

"Purdue’s secret OxyContin papers should be released, appeals court rules" (Armstrong/Joseph).